Discovering Casablanca

 

By Seif Kamel

About Casa

Casablanca or the city of white houses has become the commercial heart of Morocco. Over the past few decades the importance of the city has been ever growing higher and higher everyday.  Many travelers who spend their Luxury vacation Morocco would surly love to visit Casa.

The center of the new town of Casablanca revolves around two focal points, the Place des Nations Unies and the Mohamed V Palace squares with many marvelous 1930s structures and buildings.

To the north of this section, the old medina of Casa is still surrounded with old walls and gates and the green section of Casablanca, the Arab League Park, is in the southeast section of the city.

To the west there are the coastal area of Ain Diab and the residential section of Anfa. The monumental mosque of Mohamed V is at the end of the Kornish Street.

There is also the Quarteir Habous, a neighborhood with many interesting architectural designs and buildings.  Many tourists who travel to Morocco would admire the architecture of Casablanca.

The Arab League Park

Designed by architect Laprade in 1019, this large sized garden has many cafes and terraces making it a marvelous place for a summer picnic.

There are many tall palm trees, ficus, arcades, and pergolas are set about a huge flowerbed. Many families who spend their holidays in morocco would like to pay this park a visit.

Northwest of the park, there is the Church of the Sacred Heart which was built in 1915 by Paul Tournon. It consists of a white concert twin towered building. The Church is now deconstructed and it is used to host several cultural events.

In the South East direction, we have the Church of Notre Dame that was constructed in 1956. This church is famous for its colored glass that displays scenes of the life of the Virgin Mary with some rational Moroccan carpets motifs. Many travel tours to Morocco include visits to some monuments of Casablanca.

The South West section of the park is dominated with the Center of the Arts that displays many works of temporary Moroccan North African arts.

The New Medina of Casablanca

The French city planners have a new city in the beginning of the 1930s to solve the problem of the expanding urbanization and the increasing number of the population of Casa.

They have chose the located to the South of the old Medina city center to found this new city and the Habous, the administration of the religious foundations, was responsible for the development of the new city and therefore the city took the foundation’s name, Habous.

This new town was constructed in the old traditional Arab style of housing with a mixture with the modern requirements of the 20th century.

The new city contains public areas like markets, mosques, and baths, together with a lot of private residences.  Many tourists would like to include a visit to Casa to their trip to Morocco.

The new Medina represents another example for the architecture of Morocco during the French Protectorate over the country. The city is full of flowers and arcades that provide visitors with a marvelous chance to have an enjoyable walk.

Most of the more modest houses are located near the market, as most of its residences used to work in it, while the area around the mosque is dominated with finer houses and villas.

There are many shops around the new Medina which is featured with the most famous pastries. There are also some stores for collectors’ items and curios.
A large variety of Moroccan rugs and traditional carpets are on sale in the weekly carpet market near the new Medina.

On the edge of the new Medina, there is the Royal Palace, which was built in the 1920s and it is featured with its Mediterranean gardens and luxurious buildings.

Casablanca Twin Center

Featured with its twin towers which are 100 meters long, this complex but marvelous piece of architectural art has become a landmark of Casa and its commercial importance. Many travelers especially those fond of shopping would go explore this commercial mall while they are spend their tours in Morocco.

This center hosts the offices, stores, shops, restaurants, and cafes.  With its amazing layout and huge structure, the Casablanca Twin Tower reflects the economical role of Casablanca on the local and international levels.

The Museum of the Moroccan Judaism

The Museum of the Moroccan Judaism contains many displays of scarves, prayer shawls, other religious items, and a reconstructed synagogue. A lot of Jewish monuments are included to many of the tours to Morocco.

Since the Roman period and until the independence of Morocco in 1925, the country has always had a considerable Jews community. Today the number of Jews in Morocco is around 5000 people.

Anfa

Occupying a hill that overlooks Casa from the Northwest direction, Anfa hosts the most luxurious residences and villas in Casa, with many gardens, flower fields, and swimming pools.

The construction of villas has started here from the 1930s and since that time, a large number of villas have been erected in the neighborhood with different and several architectural styles.  Anfa, with its luxurious style, attract some of the travelers who go on Morocco private tours to explore the neighborhood or maybe invest in a summer house there.

The Hotel of Anfa, which didn’t survive until today, was where the historical meeting of the United States president, Franklin Roosevelt, and the British Prime Minster, Winston Churchill, took place in 1943 during World War II.

During this meeting Roosevelt has pledged to Support King Mohamed V to gain the independence of Morocco from the French Protectorate and occupation.

The Cornish of Ain Diab

The Cornish of Ain Diab has always been a section of importance to Casa. It stretches from the Al Hank lighthouse, built in 1916, in the East, till the“Marabout” of Sidi Abdel Rahman in the West.

This Cornish is filled with hotels, swimming pools, many different restaurants, discos, and a large number of fashionable nightclubs.  Many guests spending trips in Morocco would enjoy an exotic night outing in the Kornish of Ain Diab.

The construction work of this area has started in the 1930s with the need to have many restaurants and hotels to serves the wealthy of Casa.

The first restaurant to be built here was “La Reserve”, that has marvelous panoramic views and it was built in 1934.

At the foot of the Anfa Hill, there is a mosque and one of the largest and most comprehensive libraries in the Northern African region.  Many packages to Morocco would surly include a visit to explore the wonders of the Kornish of Ain Daib.

At the far Western end of the Cornish, there is the Marabout of Sidi Abdel Rahman, which is accessed only when there is low tide and it attracts many Muslims in different periods of the year.

The Mohamedeya

In the beginning of the 20th century, the Mohamedeya, that was called, Fedala at the time, was nothing but a Kasbah. All of this changed when the port of the town started receiving oil ships from different places around the world.

Nowadays, it has become part of Greater Casablanca and it has more than 18% of Morocco’s porting traffic. The city has a population of more than 150,000 and it is one of the wonderful places to live within Casa.

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